Search Engine Optimisation is crucial to the success or failure of a Web site, especially if the site was conceived with profitability in mind. If you're just starting out in e-commerce, a basic knowledge of Search Engine Optimisation is absolutely critical for you and for boosting your rankings and your traffic. And that's true whether your site is a blog, an online store or purely for information.

  The good thing about Search Engine Optimisation is that it's free and accessible to anyone. However, what isn't free is the ability to write well and in a manner that Web users will appreciate. And neither is the time and effort needed to implement an effective Search Engine Optimisation plan.

  In short, you will have to write well, invest time and make a constant effort to make Search Engine Optimisation work for you. Here are some tips to help you get started on the right foot:

1. Stay up-to-date on Search Engine Optimisation developments
   The world of SEO is constantly evolving. It is important to know about the latest techniques as they come about. Given the great potential of SEO to make or break your site, knowing the latest techniques can make a world of difference. After all, you wouldn't want to go to battle without the latest weapons in your arsenal, would you?
   
   Along with digging deep for the right keywords to use for your Web site, it is also important to keep yourself abreast of the latest SEO techniques that the experts come up with. Search Engine Optimisation, along with other marketing techniques, is continuously evolving. Arming yourself with the latest arsenal in this field will keep you head and shoulders above your competition.
   
   
2. Make your Web site easy on the eyes
   Web users are an impatient lot, and having too much clutter on your site can turn them away quickly. After all, it only takes seconds to get to another site. Hence, it pays to have a design that's easy to follow, a site index that's easy to understand and links that are easy to view. Your goal is to make your site easy to navigate for both people and search engines.
   
   
3. Choose the right keywords
   Selecting the right keywords to provide search engines is a major factor. There are many resources on the Internet that can help you in this regard, both free or for a small fee. Of course, you can pick out the keywords on your own, but it never hurts to have the kind of numbers that professional keyword services provide to back you up.
   
   
4. Content is king
   In Search Engine Optimisation, keywords count but they don't tell the whole story. More is not always better. First of all, if you stuff too many keywords in your content, there's a chance that search engines will ban you for spamming. Secondly, if your content is cluttered with keyword what kind of user experience will that give your visitors? You'll probably tick them off so badly that they won't ever visit your site again.

  Like life, the key to Search Engine Optimisation is moderation. Put in just enough keywords to attract the attention of search engines without sacrificing the quality of your content.